


left blooming alone

by grey_toiletpaper



Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst, Drunk Qrow Branwen, F/M, Flown North, Hearing Voices, Hurt/Comfort, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sober Qrow Branwen, Volume 7 (RWBY)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-22
Updated: 2019-12-23
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:01:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21866410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grey_toiletpaper/pseuds/grey_toiletpaper
Summary: ~Thus kindly I scatter~Qrow tipped the flask towards his mouth, almost drowning his throat with the fire of alcohol. Blocking out fond memories; assignments and missions as partners, drunken nights under the stars of Remnant, content moments where they simply enjoyed each other's company. It had been just the two of them and the life they could have walked together. He snorted and took another swig, slamming his head back into the dirt, laughing at the state of affairs.Summer sure did fucking scatter, and where did that leave him?
Relationships: Qrow Branwen & Ruby Rose, Qrow Branwen & Summer Rose, Qrow Branwen/Summer Rose
Comments: 2
Kudos: 20





	1. Chapter 1

**Present**

"Hey, Uncle Qrow?" Even though he wasn't directly facing her, he could already tell Ruby had a question on her mind. The way her brows were knitted together, and her arms awkwardly ramrod straight at her sides were indicative enough. _(Almost the exact same way I would.)_ Qrow nodded along to let her slip into her natural pace. "I wanted to ask you something..."

"Ask away kiddo," Qrow smirked easily at her, but it faltered. There wasn't even a hint of a smile on Ruby's face. Instead, she looked like the floor seemed incredibly interesting, with her brows starting to look like a monobrow.

"You used to be one of Mom's best friends, right?" Qrow's concern grew deeper given what a question like that would entail. For once, he could feel the Voice in his head grow more interested as he assented to her. "I-I want to know more about her but I also want to know how she was one of your friends. Dad never said anything other than that you two were really close and outside of that I didn't know anything more about you two and it just-"

"And to think I thought you were only like your mother in looks," He was lying, obviously, Ruby was like her mother in so many ways great or small that Qrow didn't even think he could tell her coherently. Typical of himself, Qrow's brain was a mess trying to string together some way out. He didn't give it the time. "That's a pretty weighty question that'll take a lot of time to answer. You sure you want to hear me croak for that long?"

"If I could sit through your lectures at Signal, I think you can tell me stories until I'm old like you," Qrow's smirk came back, this was the Ruby he knew. "Besides, I really do want to know more about her and you and everything else"

"Everything else, huh?" _(Like why you're so willing to help her.)_ Qrow's smirk never left his face as he gestured to Ruby to follow him. "Come on then, there's something I left here in Atlas I want you to see."

* * *

**2 years prior**

If Qrow was being honest with himself, this was not his idea. He could chalk it up to at least three people to have made him do this; Ozpin, Tai or Ironwood.

If Qrow was actually trying to be honest with himself, the idea was probably so he could drink somewhere he wasn't surrounded by meatheads and flirting innkeepers.

If Qrow was _actually_ being honest with himself, the idea was his own, he had to do this and that was the end of it. That still wasn't stopping him from trudging through the tree copse, stopping just before the hill that would take him to the cliff edge.

_ Should jump right off and never fly back up.  _

He laughed bitterly at the thought and it died down with the burning liquid that came from his flask. As much as he would welcome it, the drop from the cliff was not his goal. The Voice in his head was telling him how **she** would never forgive him if he ever so much as considered it. The alcohol drowned the linked train of thought out with it. Still, it persistently nagged the back of his mind.

_You look like a shadow of your former self._

_ Least the outside matches the inside  _

_You've been drinking for hours now._

_ Think I'll drink for a couple more too  _

_You're so full of shit._

_ Always have been  _

_..._

_I_ _hate seeing you like this, Stilts._

The Voice stopped after that, so Qrow stalked away from the trees, back the way he had come. He took some longer draughts from his flask to block his mind from the urge to turn the other way. This had been a terrible idea, and if only she could see him now, with the number of petals on the ground it was almost like she could. But all that was left of Summer Rose was buried at the end of the path beyond the hill.

* * *

**13 years prior**

Qrow wasn't even there for her funeral. Of course, he had come in person, just not as one. He observed past friends and colleagues come and go through the reception. Most gave their condolences to Taiyang, play with Yang inside the house or see Ruby, Qrow's breath hitched every time he saw her, and just _stared_. Only those that Qrow had held closer than arm's length questioned his absence, only to be hushed by his old friend. The lone huntsman doubted Tai even noticed his presence and was fine to let the reception play out before him. For now, it would give him enough time to get himself ready for the actual funeral.

At least, that was what he intended, scanning the gathering until a sight stopped him dead on. Ruby sat on a bench in the corner of the area on her lonesome, the child's hands constantly wringing over an untouched plate of cookies. _(Cookies I made.)_ It reminded Qrow of his parentless childhood and the hardships that came after. _(No one for you or for her.)_ Frantically, he searched for any of her family, friends, **anyone** to comfort the clearly distressed child.

_You are her family, Qrow._

_ I can't let her see me._

_She doesn't have to know it's you._

_ But my semblance, I could hu-  _

_How many times have I told you, Stilts? It is **never** your fault. She needs someone. Just. Go. _

_ Sometimes I wonder whether you really are Her, or you're just my guilt playing on my conscience.  _

Without bothering to acknowledge any reply, the shapeshifter flittered next to the child, lightly pecking her hand when he finally reached her. His actions took young Ruby by surprise, her body flailing to rebalance itself before settling. Qrow could patiently watch the girl regain her composure, however, he seized up when the face of the child was the near-spitting image of her mother. Every lock of hair already in the right place, her nose, her face, her _silver eyes_ , she looked almost exactly like her mother even though she's just four years old. He almost hadn't noticed Ruby reaching out to pet him until her hand was not centimetres from his head. Preparing to take off then and there, he was stopped by the feeling of a hand on his head, lightly fumbling in the mess of his feathers. It had been a very long time since someone had even touched his body, and the huntsman elected to lean into the sensation rather than flee. The moment was cut short by heavy footfalls that Qrow recognized anywhere.

"Dada! Issa birb, it wooks so cool!" ~~Summer's~~ Ruby's giggle shook his very core, still petting him. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Tai eyeing him suspiciously. He prayed his former teammate would let it slide just once. It felt like the two would stare at each other for an eternity until Ruby's hand reminded them of her presence.

"Really now... it looks kinda greasy to me," Qrow would've petulantly jabbed at his old friend if it didn't mean ruining the moment for Ruby. Instead, he tried his hardest to glare at Tai, with failing results. Tai seemed to notice this, and a smirk ghosted his lips. "What are you doing 'round here kid?"

"Waiting for Uncle Qwow," If Qrow thought he knew what being frozen down to his core felt, then it compared nothing to the feeling he had now. He knew from the posture of his friend that Tai had felt similarly. The girl's face became downcast. "I miss him."

"Your uncle's away right now Rubes," Tai held out a hand for the girl and just when she got off the bench to grab it, one of its legs snapped, causing the entire thing to collapse towards her. She would have been crushed if she moved any later. Qrow, who had avoided being hurt, wilted and only barely caught the gaze of his old friend shift from surprise to anger to confusion before resting on pity. He felt Tai shoot a meaningful look at him before leading Ruby away. "The... event is going to happen soon, and you need to get ready"

Taking his hint to leave, the huntsman returned to his previous perch, content enough for the funeral procession. Qrow watched as the funeral workers brought a tattered and bloodstained white cape in a wicker basket shrouded by flowers. His breath hitched, his eyes seeing the prone body of his old partner wrapped in the cape even though in reality, it was empty. While others saw Ruby reach out to grab the cape and struggle for purchase, Qrow almost choked at his vision of the girl's hand losing grasp with the lifeless hand of Summer's. When she started calling for her mother he had taken off immediately, he couldn't watch the girl fall apart anymore. His broken heart was turning to shards and he was choking on the pieces. In the back of his mind, the Voice sobbed at their shared pain.

Unbeknownst to him, Taiyang had known his presence even before he had come to Ruby. After all, he had been with the Branwen twins for years. But while Taiyang had found the male Branwen, he never noticed the raven that tracked every movement of the crow and took off after it when it did so.


	2. Chapter 2

**Present**

Qrow led Ruby down to Atlas' private caches, ushered her into a conference room while he went into full search mode. It was odd to Qrow that the girl had asked him such a specific question that, anywhere else, he wouldn't know how to answer. Yet, they were in exactly the right place for him to do this properly. To finally cast aside the shadow of their past. He smiled as he held in his arms something that he had not seen in over 12 years.

_It's almost like luck has turned your way._

* * *

**2 years prior**

_Qrow, turn back._

_ You can't make me  _

_I know, but it hurts me to see you like this_

_...  _

_Qrow, **please**. _

_ I can't, can't cope with all this, this... _

_Misfortune. I still don't think that's your-_

_ I just want it to stop.  _

_I don't want a repeat of our last talk like this. When you chose to leave Patch, left **her** , no matter how much I hated it I didn't stop you because I wanted you to -_

_ To what, Summer, what could I possibly do about the absolute shitshow my world has come to? _

_You haven't been this bad sin-since..._

_ Your funeral. I know, about time too. _

_..._

_I-I didn't want to-_

_ Save it. _

Qrow pressed on through the copse, his head cleared up for just a moment, and then the copious amounts of alcohol he had taken in gave him a headache with the power of a thousand lances. The shapeshifter writhed on the ground, his nails tearing at the dirt and his hair and the **_fucking_** petals that - A heel slammed onto Qrow's open chest, winding what little air he had left. His eyes refocused while he scrambled to fight or fly. He was readying his fists when he noticed that his assailant had a Grimm mask, and fell back in defeat.

"What the fuck do you want Raven," his twin gazed at him condescendingly before taking her foot off.

"What, I can't make sure my twin brother isn't going to throw himself off a cliff?" Qrow ignored the sweet smile his twin was probably hiding and helped himself up. “I’m here to help you Qrow.”

"I'm flattered, but now I'm out," he made to storm away from Raven when she gripped his arm, fiercely. Beneath her mask, Raven's eyes were narrowed sharply. "Can you not grab-"

"I'm here because I know what day it is Qrow," She straightened herself, "and I'm checking to see if I have to tell you the same thing I did 9 years ago."

"And what would that be," Sober Qrow definitely remembered the words, he was there. Shitfaced Qrow couldn't give any less of a damn.

"You should stay for Ruby," Qrow snorted, Raven was facing away from him, so she hadn't seen the balling fists of his hands. "She needs... her uncle.”

"Tch, you're one to talk," Raven rounded on Qrow, her expression neutral. But he knew that even making her move at all was a sign that he had touched a nerve. "Oh, I'm sorry, did I hurt your feelings there? Guess that makes me wonder what you felt when you abandoned Tai and Yang."

"I don't think you understand what you're accusing-"

"Oh, I'm accusing plenty sis," Even intoxicated, Qrow knew exactly how this argument worked, "I'm accusing that you threw away your life, your happiness, for some screwed up sense of loyalty for a tribe that never cares for the wellbeing of their own people. You didn't see how it broke Tai when you left. How Yang grew up without her own mother. She was lucky that Summer came around to clean up the mess you left behind."

"It's not like I'm the only one who abandoned the people they loved, brother. It makes me wonder if you even cared for Sum-," For a moment, a flicker of self-righteousness crossed Raven's eyes. It was snuffed out and replaced with something akin to dread as soon as Qrow's hands made their way to her throat and lifted her in the air, knocking the Grimm mask to the forest floor.

"Don't. Even. Start. With. Me." Qrow's garnet eyes had shifted to the Branwen's signature crimson. At that moment, he wanted so badly to choke the life out of his sister, to tear out her throat and smash her skull on the trees. His eyes bore right into his sister's, and for the first time, Qrow saw genuine fear cross her face. He let go, staring impatiently as Raven gasped for breath. "The girls are going to Beacon in a couple of weeks, and unlike you, I need to make sure that they're ready."

The old crow left the tree line, far away from the life that was ripped from him.

* * *

**13 years prior**

_That bench wasn't your fault Qrow._

_... _

_It was an old bench; you know that they haven't been used in years._

_... _

_Talk to me Qrow._

_ It's not really talking when it's just thinking with a voice in my head. _

_I don't know why I'm here either Stilts. I just popped up in here while you were drinking and-_

_ So, you're just an extra-long hangover. Great. _

_I don't know what I am. Just that I’m here with you._

_ Maybe if I wasn’t the way I am, I’d be talking to the real thing rather than some twist my conscience came up just because of my... _

_You can't keep hating yourself like this._

_ Watch me. _

Qrow’s patience started to wane as he descended a little deeper into the forest. Weighing the option to find a perch or rest his transformation for a while, he elected to pick the best of both worlds and collapsed on a sturdy branch. He pulled the flask from his hip and tipped it back, waiting for the release of alcohol he craved. The flask was knocked straight out his hand as a red dust blade embedded itself in the trunk, barely missing his arm. Ignoring the blade's edge, the shapeshifter sighed exasperatedly, pulling it out with his bare hands.

"Where do you think you're going, Qrow." A figure adorned in red armour and a Grimm mask emerged from the shadows.

"Raven, nice of you to show up after all these years," the huntsman tossed her sword distastefully. "What's the special occasion for you to grace us with your presence?"

"She was my friend too," Qrow snorted.

"So you can show up to your former teammate's funeral but you'd rather talk to your wasted brother rather than go to the daughter you've left for six years now," Even behind her mask, Raven winced. "Now let me go back to drink-"

"You're sober," It might as well have been a question with how many times she'd caught him. "Which means that whatever I say to you should stick."

"..."

"You should stay for Ruby," Qrow's stare hardened. "I know you're afraid of her getting hurt but... It's kind of hypocritical of you to shame me for leaving behind my family, even though-"

"Even though what, Raven? Unlike you, I don't have the luxury of not having a semblance that hurts everyone around me whether I like it or not," Picking up his flask, he made to leave. Raven was not stopping him. "Every time I see her I feel like she's going to get hurt because of me. Not to mention the fact that, with my luck, my semblance would lead our enemies to me anyway. Ruby deserves a father who won't bring home the terrors of what goes on out there."

"If Summer was still here, would you have stayed?" The old crow paused.

"Doesn't matter. She's gone now. And so am I." 

The husk Qrow had become stalked away without looking back, without aim or purpose.

_ Scattered._


End file.
